SodaBlast Systems – Innovative Solutions in Soda Blasting Technology

Creating the Soda Blasting Industry

SodaBlast Systems Technology from the USA

How does it differ from sandblasting and sandblasters?

There are two main categories of differences:

1) Technological Innovation

Soda blasting is MORE than just sandblasting

SodaBlast Systems blasters are designed for stream-pressure cleaning using, among others, super fine granulated baking soda (NaHCO3). Therefore:

• Soda blasting does not damage the cleaned surface like sandblasting
• Does not interfere with the material structure, unlike sandblasting
• The material retains its original thickness after processing (e.g., sheet metal)
• No hammering effect – no surface expansion
• Does not destroy galvanizing
• No overheating of the material – due to lack of grinding
• Leaves no discoloration – no overheating of the surface
• Thoroughly cleans the surface
• Cleans a wider range of contaminants – expands the spectrum of possible assignments
• Preferred by the EU as a future, eco-friendly abrasive (baking soda – water-soluble, biodegradable, pH 8.3)
• Abrasive desired by conservators (non-reactive)
• Safer abrasive for the operator and bystanders

2) Product Innovation

A better machine than a sandblaster

SodaBlast Systems is a completely different construction than a sandblaster, offering several benefits:

• Much more efficient work: more square meters done at the same time instead of using a typical sandblaster
• Lower consumption of blasting media and fuel: less logistics, transport = savings
• Smooth power adjustment: from delicate, brittle, thin materials to steel surfaces
• Only one person needed to operate the machine: lower employment costs, social security, taxes, etc.
• Reliability: no clogging, no jamming, constant pressure, constant stream
• Simple service, few wear parts, large fuel tank for a whole day of work
• Durable construction for years, “idiot-proof” and simple operation
• Far and tested cleaning range: 200 meters horizontally and 150 meters vertically
• Machine adapted to work 365 days a year 24/7, regardless of weather conditions: frost, snow, rain, or heat
• Quick readiness for work up to 15 minutes
• Machine mobility: just hook it up to the towing hook of a delivery vehicle

What does it remove?

Removes:

• Paints
• Varnishes
• Old plasters
• Gel-coat
• Resins
• Surface and deep rust
• Concrete milk
• Impregnants
• Fillers
• Contaminants after welding
• Corrosion (aluminum, copper)
• And more

From such surfaces as:

• Building exteriors and interiors (e.g., residue on bricks, remnants of plasters, covering paints)
• Wooden buildings (log homes, wooden decks, garden furniture)
• Steel constructions (warehouses, production halls)
• Road infrastructure (removal of temporary horizontal markings, cleaning of sound-absorbing screens, stops, shelters, graffiti, bridges, and viaducts)
• Steel ships, aluminum yachts, wooden or laminate (removing fouling paints)
• Historical monuments under conservator supervision (churches, monuments, gravestones, castles, manors)
• Automotive: bodywork, sheet metal and plastic elements, engine blocks, components
• After burning: building and industrial objects
• Graffiti: from glass, plastic, concrete, and other surfaces
• High-altitude work: tanks, chimneys, power poles, observation towers
• Agriculture: tractors, trailers, tractors
• Heavy industry: constructions of factory machines or mines
• Light industry: concrete mixers, bulldozers, excavators, tractors, tankers
• Flat surfaces: cobblestone, granite, terrazzo, sandstone plates
• Aviation: helicopter casings, aircraft
• Military: tanks, military infrastructure and vehicles, gunsmithing
• Pipelines, transmission networks
• Surface roughening: removing concrete milk from constructions, retention tanks, or sewage treatment plants
• Injection molds in light and heavy industry
• And many others

Such a wide and versatile application offers unlimited possibilities for many years of machine use.

What are the operating costs of the blaster?

Basically, two base costs:

1) DIESEL OIL

For an 8-hour workday, we usually assume in the estimate:
(Average consumption of 5-6 liters of diesel per hour, depending on engine load and model. It may be higher or lower)

= approx. 50 EUR

2) BLASTING MEDIA

For an 8-hour workday, we usually assume in the estimate:
(for 1-2 layers of paint)

= approx. 25-125 EUR

The final cost of the blasting media is dependent on several factors:

1. Type of Media: Different types of media (soda, sand, glass) vary in cost and are suited for different cleaning tasks. The choice of media impacts the overall cost.
2. Hardness, Thickness, and Layers of the Surface: The physical characteristics of the surface being cleaned, such as hardness, thickness, and the number of layers (of paint, rust, etc.), influence how much media is required for effective cleaning.
3. Adhesion of the Contaminant: The degree to which the dirt, paint, or rust adheres to the surface affects the amount of media needed to remove it.
4. Shape of the Object Being Cleaned: Complex shapes, like intricate steel structures or irregular sides may require more media for thorough cleaning compared to flat, plain surfaces..
5. Accessibility to the Surface: The ease of access to the surface (working at ground level, using scaffolding, or a lift) can change the speed and efficiency of the cleaning process, thereby affecting media consumption..
6. Experience: Experienced operators can optimize media usage and work, more efficiently, leading to lower material losses and higher productivity. This factor is similar to how a painterís experience affects the use of paint and overall efficiency..

To create an accurate quote, it is recommended to conduct performance and quality tests on the surface. These tests will provide a better understanding of the actual amount of blasting media required, along with the time and effort involved, allowing for a more precise calculation of the total cost.

SUMMARIZING THE COSTS:

SERVICE PRICES:

With such costs, the market price for a day’s service should exceed:

How does this translate to the service price per m2 for flat surfaces?

Depending on the assignment, additional costs may apply, which should be taken or required by the investor to handle, such as scaffolding assembly, rental and transport of a lift, on-site alpinists, long-distance travel, securing the area around or critical elements of the object/item, impregnation or painting of the cleaned surface.

For simplifying a quotation, the consumption of blasting media is assumed as a lump sum for the entire 8-hour working day.

The same with fuel. Consumption is calculated for the entire 8h working day.

Calculating costs per hour or per m2 is unprofessional. The risk factor of making a mistake with such small tolerance is too high. Unless we perform the same works, day in, day out, on the same surface, we can calculate consumption having already experienced this type of assignment.

Often, works differ, surfaces are not the same (the facade of one building differs from the facade of another building, or the south wall of the same building is more exposed to the sun than the northern), and contaminants like paints or varnishes will behave differently during removal. Therefore, a lump sum cost assumption per day is the most sensible.

How many square meters can we blast?

It depends.

There are thousands of applications, and for each surface or investment, the execution time will differ. Every surface is different, as mentioned earlier.

However, based on customer experiences, certain assumptions can be made.

Construction

For example, removing 1-2 layers of paint from a brick facade:

• At ground level (operator moves on the floor) = up to 300m2
• On scaffolding = up to 200m2
• On a lift = up to 100m2

Differences result from: difficulty in accessing the surface, the operator’s movement with the hose on scaffolding, or the need to interrupt work to move the lift or its basket.

Automotive

For example, removing 2 layers of paint from the bodywork of a medium-sized European car:

• Outside = up to 1 day
• Outside and inside = up to 1.5 days
• Outside, inside, and undercarriage = up to 2 days

Industry, Monuments, Road Infrastructure, Steel Constructions, Ships, and Others

As we wrote, there are thousands of applications.

However, during training, after purchasing the device, we teach how to calculate the costs and time of a given assignment in a practical, standardized, and quick manner.

How does it compare to other machines on the market?

Let’s make a comparison to three typical cleaners on the market.

Sandblaster (German, Polish, Chinese):

Now let’s compare it with a dry ice cleaning machine.

Dry Ice

Finally, let’s compare it with a laser.

Laser

Do you have a dry ice cleaner or laser and want to buy better, more efficient, versatile, and economical equipment? Come to us with your device and let’s compare live with SodaBlast Systems.

So, which machine model should you choose?

There are 3 sizes of SodaBlast Systems machines available:

• SB-500 Trailer
• SB-200 Trailer
• SB-150 Trailer

Each machine can do everything, but they differ in efficiency. This affects the speed at which we can clean a given surface or object.

The most popular model is the SB-500 Trailer. Customers buy it to start a business and provide cleaning services on-site or stationary. Or as an additional machine, which in the current operation will speed up the completion of work and reduce the number of people required for a given job.

Smaller models, like the SB-200 or SB-150, usually serve as an auxiliary device, used occasionally in the company.

We recommend choosing a machine model that will be the best choice for the next few years.

All models work with all types of solid blasting media available on the market for stream-pressure cleaning, such as: baking soda, sand, crushed glass and glass beads, round and broken shot, polgrit, corundum, garnet, cornmeal, walnut shells, etc.

You can also use very fine media, finer than with traditional sandblasters, which clog the tanks of sandblasters.

SodaBlast Systems technology, due to a different construction from traditional sandblasters, is distinguished by a 3x greater velocity of the cleaning stream (963km/h).

Rain, snow, frost, thaws – SodaBlast Systems devices have the appropriate equipment, preventing media blockage, regardless of weather conditions. Where traditional sandblasters cause problems, jam, block the media stream, there SodaBlast Systems cleaners operate continuously.

Trailer series models have integrated special chassis, along with a mounted Diesel engine that drives the screw compressor supplying the SodaBlast Systems cleaner with pressurized air.

The transportable form of machines, rather than stationary, allows and facilitates work based on simplified regulations concerning: a) environmental protection, b) noise, c) waste, d) dust, e) technical supervision, f) stationary workplace.

What do I get with the machine?

Each SodaBlast Systems model comes with a basic equipment package.

It includes:

• Universal round nozzle
• 15m blast hose
• 15m water hose
• 15m electric cable with switch
• Funnel for pouring media

We also have ready-made additional equipment packages:

– Extended Package

– Professional Package

These packages have additional nozzles or longer hoses, which further expand the range of possibilities and efficiency of the SodaBlast Systems cleaner.

You can find a detailed list of packages and their contents by clicking on “Types of Machines” in the menu.

What will we teach you?

With every purchased machine, we include an 8 hour training.

Such training is conducted on-site at the owner’s location.

The instructor comes to the indicated place, at a date agreed upon by both parties.

We will teach:

• basics of safe operation of the machine
• preparation of the workplace for an assignment
• checking and starting the machine
• using the nozzle by the operator
• selecting media and nozzles
• adjusting the cleaning stream
• stopping and halting the device
• cleaning and maintenance of the machine

Half of our clients are beginners, so it only depends on the trainees’ willingness to what extent they will take away from the training.

One-day training is entirely sufficient.

The program is tailored each time to the client, depending on how they will use the device. It can be focused on a specific industry and application, or for versatile use in the market.

For the 8-hour training, you will receive from us 300kg of media in three types: soda, sand, glass.

If you are a client from outside Poland, the instructor’s travel and accommodation throughout Europe are additionally payable.

How to start?

It’s simple.

The steps are as follows:

1. You make a choice of machine and equipment.
2. You finance the purchase, either through your own funds or lease.
3. For a lease, we provide our agent, or you can choose your own agent.
4. After paying for the machine, you collect it from our warehouse.
5. At a mutually agreed date, on your own premises, you undergo training in the operation, conducted by our instructor.
6. If you have any questions, our instructor provides remote assistance.

How to finance the purchase?

The purchase can be done with your own funds or through a lease.

If you are a client from outside Poland, contact your local bank in your own country regarding financing.

Your local bank will require a Proforma Invoice and a Machine Specification. Contact us providing the name of your company, exact address, country, VAT-UE number. We will prepare proper documentation required by bank.